The SA Aperta was, at its heart, a love letter to Pininfarina—the design house that had contributed so much to Ferrari’s stunning back catalogue. Specifically, to father and son Sergio and Andrea, whose initials were immortalised in the model’s name. Just 80 of these spectacular machines were created, each an uncompromising marriage of striking open-topped styling and truly brutal performance. Both streamlined and aggressive, the roadster’s lines echo that of the 599 on which it is based. But while there is undoubtedly a familial resemblance, the SA Aperta’s steeply raked windscreen and sleek rear deck with integrated aerodynamic fins and roll bars set it apart as something truly special.

The cocktail only gets more potent when you look beneath the bodywork and realise that the SA Aperta shares its major mechanical components, including engine, gearbox, and exhaust system, not with the 599 GTB, but the 599 GTO—a machine so powerful and poised that it proved capable of lapping Ferrari’s Fiorano test track a full second quicker than the lauded Enzo. This from a car with its 670 PS 6.0-litre V-12 engine mounted not amidships, but ahead of the driver, in the great grand-touring tradition of Ferraris of the 1960s.

The 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta offered here was delivered to its first owner in Sweden in 2010 via supplying dealer Autoropa AB of Arlöv. It was specified in the beautiful combination of Nero Stellato paintwork with a Beige leather interior. The stunning cabin is outfitted with optional extras that include carbon fibre bucket seats and a carbon fibre and leather dashboard, as well as a bespoke instrument cluster featuring a Bianco-backed tachometer. The secondary trims and paddle shifters are matching Nero Stellato.

Around the exterior the paintwork is complemented by Scuderia wing shields, while the A-pillars and wing mirrors are painted in aluminium grey. Anthracite wheels and contrasting yellow callipers complete the specification. Worthy of special mention is that this example is also one of just 14 that are believed to have been specified with the optional, removable, carbon fibre hard top from the factory, offering almost the same comfort and usability as the 599 GTB.

The car is accompanied by copies of service invoices that note important annual maintenance carried out by Ferrari main dealer Modena Cars SA of Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland in December 2019, February 2023, and November 2023. The SA Aperta was certified by Ferrari Classiche in March 2012 and it is accompanied by its important “Red Book”. At the time of cataloguing, the Ferrari’s odometer read just 3,021 kilometres.

The SA Aperta remains one of the most ferociously quick front-engined Ferraris ever created, in addition to being among the most exclusive machines to ever wear a Prancing Horse badge. This immaculately preserved and tastefully specified example presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire perhaps the best of its type.